The Finality Problem by G. S. Denning

Author:G. S. Denning
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Titan Books
Published: 2020-08-03T23:00:00+00:00

Hello, John. I see you’ve made yourself at home.

“As you please, I suppose,” said Irene, breezing into the room. “Now tell me: who is this staunch paladin you’ve brought along to safeguard your virtue?”

“I am Detective Inspector Vladislav Lestrade of Scotland Yard.”

“Ah. Yes, I have heard of you,” said Irene, her eyebrows going up, and I saw just a hint of worry cross her brow as she recalculated her position. With a little sniff, she flipped the third wine glass into the fireplace, where it burst with a dainty tinkle. “Won’t be needing that, I suppose.”

Lestrade frowned. “Actually, it is my custom to have a glass at my place with just a splash of wine. It helps to keep my true nature hidden from the casual observer and… well… it’s nice to feel included.”

“Of course. How rude of me,” said Irene. With a quick little flick of her hand, she produced a replacement glass, as if by magic. And yet… I had seen more than my share of actual magic; this seemed more like simple sleight of hand. Had she known Lestrade’s identity and anticipated this? Or had she been ready for a fourth person to join us? She set all three glasses down upon the tablecloth, tipped some wine into each and said, “Now, John, why don’t you stop ransacking my rooms and come and join us. I know you must think I’ve committed all sorts of horrible atrocities at Ridling Thorpe Manor, but I’m really not the one you want.”

Lestrade gave a derisive snort.

“Well…” Irene half-stifled a smile, then shifted her gaze to Lestrade and conceded, “I’m not the one Scotland Yard wants.” She plopped herself into the chair opposite Lestrade, had a little sip of wine and said, “If the official police force would like to know the individual responsible for the deaths of Elsie and Hilton Cubitt, his name is Abe Slaney. He’s an American. Until a Pinkerton raid a little over a month ago, he was proprietor of The Joint—a burlesque theater in New Jersey. He is a pimp, an extortioner, a betrayer and a murderer. Which is all a pity, really, because he was such a lovely dancer. He missed his calling, I fear. I expect him here presently.”

I approached the table with some anxiety, suspiciously eyeing the glass of wine Irene had left for me. So far, she seemed to be approaching the situation from a friendly position, but who could tell her true motivations? And wasn’t there an old saying? Poison me once, shame on you. Poison me twice… I decided I wasn’t all that thirsty at the moment. Instead, I asked, “And you propose to tell me this Abe Slaney is the source of the coded messages received by Elsie Cubitt?”

Irene gave me a knowing smile, as if she were charmed by my naiveté, and said, “There is no code, John.”

Lestrade shook his head. “No. It is clear to me that these letters had meaning to Elsie Cubitt.”

“Oh, meaning, certainly. But no code.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.